Pumpkin Rotini with Mushrooms and Punk Rawk Labs Smoked Cashew Cheese

A scientist, a record store owner and a nutritionist walk into a kitchen…sounds like the beginning of a joke but instead it’s actually the beginning of a great company called Punk Rawk Labs.

Punk Rawk Labs is a woman-owned, Minnesota-based company formed in 2010. It was created when one of the founders, Alissa, had a health crisis and made serious changes to her diet in order to regain her health. Her friend Heidi, a registered dietitian, gave her advice. Not only did Alissa take Heidi’s advice, but she became a raw foods chef. Alissa began developing products including a fermented nutmilk cheese. Enter Julie, the record store owner, who worked at the co-op where Alissa was to teach a raw food cooking class. Julie got on board and they began the business which took off. Needing to expand, Heidi joined the team.

Now the three women make delicious gourmet vegan cheeses. The artisanal cheeses are handmade in small batches using a process similar to traditional dairy fermentation but with nut milks.

Punk Rawk Lab (PRL) cheeses have smooth textures and umami flavor. They are made from simple and natural organic ingredients free of dairy, gluten or soy. The cheese base contains just nuts, water, culture and salt. Right now, Punk Rawk Labs makes four flavors of vegan cheese: Cashew Original, Cashew Herb, Cashew Smoked and Nacho. They are currently working on more flavors.

Punk Rawk Labs sent me some of their amazing cheeses to try. First, I used the Nacho cheese to make a cheesy sauce for rice and soy curls. The nacho cheese is made from carrot juice and spicy peppers. And yes, it is spicy.

I made an easy cheese sauce by making a bechamel sauce and meting the cheese down into it.

Then the cheese sauce got tossed with the rice and veggies and topped with Butler Foods soy curls. YUM!

Next, I used the Cashew Herb Cheese to make a dip for my Buffalo Cauliflower.

I mixed the herb cheese with Hampton Creek Just Mayo to get a cheesy dip similar to blue cheese dressing.

Lastly, I used the Smoked Cashew Cheese for the recipe I’m sharing today.

It is definitely autumn here. All the leaves are quickly turning colors and floating down, covering the ground in a multi-colored blanket of orange, green, yellow, red and brown.

When fall arrives, pumpkins pop up everywhere from our coffee to our desserts. Just look at the side bar of the blog – it’s filled with pumpkin recipes of mine. So I thought I would add another.

Honestly, I love the idea of cooking with pumpkin more than I do eating pumpkin-filled recipes, especially if the recipes are sweet. On the other hand, I do enjoy savory pumpkin recipes where the sweetness of the pumpkin is balanced by paprika, chili powder, red pepper flakes and cumin.

One savory pumpkin recipe I love is pumpkin pasta – again, look to the side bar for more pumpkin and squash pasta recipes. This time I wanted something super-savory, full of umami taste. What I imagined was pumpkin pasta topped with savory mushrooms and a smoky cheese all served over a bed of kale.

Luckily, I happened to have a smokey vegan cheese on hand, thanks to Punk Rawk Labs. The Smokey Cashew Cheese has a rim of smoked sea salt and cracked black pepper. It is bold and spicy, perfectly paired with the flavors of the dish I was making. The cheese was creamy and melted into the hot pasta to make it luxurious and mouthwatering.

Punk Rawk Labs simply makes amazing vegan cheeses. If you haven’t tried them yet, I strongly urge you to get some. Check out their web site for more information.

Whether you cook with them or make a cheese plate with crackers to munch on, I know you will love them. And I hope you love my pumpkin rotini dish too!

Thank you, Punk Rawk Labs, for the awesome cheese and the inspiring story of what women can do!

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a few tablespoons of salt. Cook the rotini until just shy of al dente. Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining. Set pasta aside.

In a deep saute pan, heat 1 Tbs. coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and arrange in a single layer. You may have to cook them in batches. Add one minced garlic clove and 1 tsp. thyme and cook until the mushrooms are browned, about 8 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and toss to coat the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, heat the other tablespoon of coconut oil. Add the second clove of garlic and the red pepper flakes. Stir in the pumpkin puree and season with paprika and cinnamon. Pour in the coconut milk and add the nutmeg. Let the sauce cook until it is your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste and taste for any seasoning adjustments.

When the sauce is ready, add the pasta to the pan and toss to coat in the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water until it is to your desired consistency again.

Ladle the pasta into serving bowls. Top with mushrooms and the smoked cashew cheese. Garnish with parsley before serving.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a few tablespoons of salt. Cook the rotini until just shy of al dente. Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining. Set pasta aside.

In a deep saute pan, heat 1 Tbs. coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and arrange in a single layer. You may have to cook them in batches. Add one minced garlic clove and 1 tsp. thyme and cook until the mushrooms are browned, about 8 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and toss to coat the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, heat the other tablespoon of coconut oil. Add the second clove of garlic and the red pepper flakes. Stir in the pumpkin puree and season with paprika and cinnamon. Pour in the coconut milk and add the nutmeg. Let the sauce cook until it is your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste and taste for any seasoning adjustments.

When the sauce is ready, add the pasta to the pan and toss to coat in the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water until it is to your desired consistency again.

Ladle the pasta into serving bowls. Top with mushrooms and the smoked cashew cheese. Garnish with parsley before serving.

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About Rhea

I am a vegan and a strong animal advocate. Becoming vegan is the best thing I have ever done in my entire life. Every being deserves to live their life in peace and safety. When I became vegan, there were no places in my Bronx neighborhood to eat so I had to learn to cook, mostly from watching cooking shows on TV, especially Christina Pirello and Rachael Ray. That led to the creation of The "V" Word blog which focuses on vegan versions of favorite, familiar foods. Because if you can have the foods you love, the foods you crave, the foods you grew up with, all in a compassionate, cruelty-free way, why wouldn't you? There are several TVW e-cookbooks are available for purchase and The "V" Word Cookbook Preview is available for free upon request. I am also a writer for One Green Planet.
Born and bred in The Bronx, I think NYC is the best place in the world. I share my life with a rescued Westie mix named Benoni and a rescued husband named Tom who went on the vegan journey with me. It is my hope that I can spread the "V" Word to bring more compassion into the world and it is my dream to become the vegan Rachael Ray.

Thanks for helping us get our story out there! We also have a gofundme campaign that we are running now that has a nice video of our story. We are proud to be one of the very first nut cheeses on the market. Since then, the nut cheese market has exploded. But we are proud of how we started…
gofundme.com/punkrawklabs

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Welcome to The ‘V’ Word

My goal is to promote veganism, help save animals and fill bellies with lots of delicious cruelty-free foods.

My specialty is making vegan versions of favorite, familiar dishes. Because if you can have the foods you grew up with, the foods you always loved, the foods you crave in a healthier and compassionate way, why wouldn't you?

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